Actor Stephen James to star alongside Sanaa Lathan in new TV series about police shootings

STEPHEN JAMES, the star of an upcoming biopic about record-breaking athlete Jesse Owens, has been cast alongside Sanaa Lathan in new TV series, Shot Fired.

Shots Fired, from Love & Basketball director Gina Prince-Bythewood and husband Reggie Rock, will examine the dangerous aftermath of racially-charged police shootings in a small town in Tennessee.

Talking to The Voice in November, director Gina said the inspiration to write the show came from her teenage son.

DIRECTOR AND WRITER: Gina Prince-Bythewood

“My 14-year-old just started high school, which is a little bit scary for me,” she said. “The issue for me [with the police] is that there is a lack of humanity. They do not see us. It is an ‘us against them’ scenario, so when they are faced with us, they see us as a threat.”

The drama stars Sanaa as an expert investigator who digs into the cases, alongside a special prosecutor – to be played by 22-year-old Stephan – sent to the town by the Department of Justice.

LEADING LADY: Sanaa Lathan

“Gina and Reggie have crafted a profoundly moving portrayal of a timely and sensitive issue that pervades our culture at this very moment,” said Fox entertainment president David Madden in a statement. “We couldn’t be in better hands both with the creative team behind this, along with the very talented Sanaa Lathan leading the cast.”